Hughes sees McCarthy's pedigree as key to Blackburn progress

Mark Hughes is not given to singling out individuals but as Blackburn arrived in Germany yesterday for the most significant European match in their history, the weight of expectation being laid on Benni McCarthy's shoulders was there for all to see. For all his protestations of "other strings to our bow" the Rovers manager talked of McCarthy in such glowing terms that it was as if the striker has been given sole responsibility tonight for starting to ease Blackburn past Bayer Leverkusen in the first knockout round of the Uefa Cup.

Having won the European Cup and Uefa Cup back-to-back during his time at Porto and also having played in the Champions League with Ajax and Celta Vigo, the South African is unlikely to buckle under the pressure. That pedigree, combined with the 29-year-old's impressive record at Blackburn of 15 goals this season, including three in five European starts, has prompted Hughes to believe he holds the key to success in the BayArena.

"Benni has got great European experience and has had a real impact for us right from the start," said Hughes. "Nights like this, you look to the McCarthys to grab the occasion by the scruff of the neck and really make an impact and Benni's done that for many seasons. Technically, he's a very good player and European football at this point is what he knows more than Premiership football.

"Reputations go before you and certainly Benni's does, and rightly so because he has had fantastic success as a player. He has a real desire to succeed here as well. We don't put all our eggs in Benni's basket - we have other strings to our bow. He's good in that respect, in that he does impart his experience to other players."

McCarthy is likely to start alone up front against a Leverkusen side that lost at home to Tottenham in the group stage in November. Rovers' path has been far more comfortable, with three wins and a draw securing top place in Group E and a place in the last 32.

"In fairness we haven't really had that many problems in the competition up to this point," said Hughes, who admitted he was "encouraged" by Middlesbrough's feat in reaching the final last season. "We have to play to the standards we have set in away games and we have been very solid away from home in Europe this year. If we produce another performance, it will be enough to bring back and give us a situation we can capitalise on."